On December 23, 2024, the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Anti-fraud in the Markets (DGCCRF) released its report on inspections of aquaculture and fishery products enterprises in 2022 and 2023. The DGCCRF inspected 2,320 enterprises at all stages of harvesting, production and distribution of aquaculture and fishery products in 2022 and 2023, and found 52% to be in breach of the law, including Lack of information on origin and fishing methods, licensing of certain products, unreasonable value-added claims and use of unauthorized additives. Key elements:

(1) Lack of basic labeling information and unreasonable labeling. 43.4% of seafood labels in 2023 (45% in 2021) had violations, such as substituting the name of the product for a more popular species, or using names that are difficult to understand and do not include the scientific name of the species, and using lesser-known terminology such as "27-4". Bluefin tuna, clams, halibut or cod were among the products with the most unusual inspection reports, including the use of ambiguous terms to indicate product or fishing division, and fishing and production methods. In addition, the thawing, curing or watering characteristics of some products were not mentioned, oyster farmers were subject to claims and warnings for inappropriate use of claims such as "brain stimulant" or "natural antidepressant" on their websites, and processors of farmed fish were criticized for inaccuracies in the origin of their fish and inconsistent information on production methods. Farmed fish processors have been warned for inaccuracies in the origin of their fish, inconsistent information on production methods, and unjustified use of the term “French fisheries”;

(2) problems with traceability. inspections in 2022 and 2023 found that there was a 20% to 25% anomaly rate for traceability of fishery and aquaculture products, which is key information to ensure that goods comply with standards for the conservation of fishery resources and that they can be traced back to the production and distribution chain;

(3) Use of unauthorized additives. In 2023 and 2024, the DGCCRF conducted 199 samples, with an average non-compliance rate of 40% for two years for the use of additives, especially in tuna (artificially rendered red), with added antioxidants and nitrates, and fresh products found to be water-injected, among others;

(4) In 2022 and 2023, 806 warnings, 208 injunctions and 166 minutes were issued against non-compliant establishments. Sanctions were mainly directed at companies engaging in deceptive business practices (especially concerning trade names and places of origin), and warnings were mainly related to labeling errors.

For more details see: https://www.economie.gouv.fr/dgccrf/laction-de-la-dgccrf/les-enquetes/produits-de-laquaculture-et-de-la-peche-trop-de-flou-dans